Availability of Dining at 60 Day Mark?

[choover2576]

Our past few Disney trips have been to WDW, so I've been accustomed to setting a 3am alarm to book dining reservations.

I've heard that Disneyland is a little bit more laid back. For the end of October I'd like to book:

Blue Bayou Fantasmic Dinner
Carthay Circle World of Color late lunch
Plaza in late breakfast
Carnation Cafe Dinner
Cafe Orleans - regular lunch or dinner not sure yet

If I call or go online day of for each day my window opens up, do I need to do this right at 6am (or whenever the line opens)? Do these sound like highly competitive options?

I felt like I won the lottery when I snagged a Cinderella's Royal Table reservation for Christmas dinner last year .

Thank you!!!

 

[GatorChris]

It's completely different here. With no DDP, we don't have thousands of people trying to fulfill those TS credits. I've been able to get reservations for the places you've mentioned a few days before we went. Maybe not right at Noon or right at 6pm, but there were still plenty of spots left. You can do it at right at 6am, but you'll be beating everyone else by about 30 days. The only thing I would book the day of (not at 6am) is the F! package, though I have no experience with this one. It's not like at WDW where you just request it along with a TS restaurant and it's free (unless WDW has changed that policy). Here at DL, you have to actually pay a bundle to get the package.

We don't really have super place that you have to eat at like Royal Table, Le Cellier, Be Our Guest, or Chef Mickey's. Blue Bayou is the highest demand, but you can book it at least a two weeks out.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

The only one I'd make sure you get at the 60-day mark is the BB Fantasmic! package. The rest will probably still be available a couple of weeks (or heck, a couple of days) out - not saying to wait that long, just giving you a sense of the "competition" or lack thereof...

 

[HydroGuy]

Our past few Disney trips have been to WDW, so I've been accustomed to setting a 3am alarm to book dining reservations.

I've heard that Disneyland is a little bit more laid back. For the end of October I'd like to book:

Blue Bayou Fantasmic Dinner
Carthay Circle World of Color late lunch
Plaza in late breakfast
Carnation Cafe Dinner
Cafe Orleans - regular lunch or dinner not sure yet

If I call or go online day of for each day my window opens up, do I need to do this right at 6am (or whenever the line opens)? Do these sound like highly competitive options?

I felt like I won the lottery when I snagged a Cinderella's Royal Table reservation for Christmas dinner last year .

Thank you!!!

In short, no. See "What WDW Vets Need to Know About Dining at DLR" http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2914467

 

[figment_jii]

I echo what the others have said about not needing to worry about booking dining at DLR like you do at WDW. That being said, I would still recommend making reservations if you know you want to eat at a specific locations and/or time. As others have said, the Blue Bayou Fantasmic Dining Package is most likely going to be the most popular ADR on your list (followed, probably, by the Plaza Inn because you have a specific time in mind). I'd also warn that while reservations technically come available 60-days in advance (one day at a time), it's not uncommon for things to be a bit slow in loading. So if you go online right on the 60-day mark and nothing is showing as available, it's much more likely that they haven't loaded the dates/times into the system yet (opposed to already being fully booked). Just keep checking and things will eventually be loaded. Also, the system usually rolls somewhere between midnight at 6:00 am (Pacific), but the exact time seems a bit inconsistent (luckily, it doesn't really matter).

 

[jina]

Today is the 60 day mark for day 3 of my upcoming DL trip. I was able to get the BB early lunch I wanted for day 3 but when I went to get the F! package for day 1 the BB F! was was sold out - not a big deal since I'm already going to BB on day 3 so I grabbed a Cafe Orleans F! package instead which had pretty much every time open -I've never been to Cafe Orleans and have heard good things about it. So I agree with the other posters- if you really want BB for the F! package do your best to get it right at the 60 day mark. I am hoping they will have some WOC dessert packages scheduled for my trip -so far they are only available through the end of Sept. Agreed that for most ADR's you can get them up to a few days in advance, sometimes same day. It's nothing like WDW - I too will have to do the 2:55am alarm when I hit the 180 day mark for our 2018 WDW trip.

 

[jrjankowski8]

I book at 60 days anyway for my reservations because to me that's part of the fun. Though I definitely change them throughout the next 60 days based on changes in ideas and plans for each day.

I had BB F! which was tough to get for the day I wanted, but when they came out with the Cafe Orleans (which starts the day before we get there), I changed it.

We went to DL in 2014 and I wasn't aware that the ressies aren't as important as they were in WDW. My wife forgot something she needed at the hotel so we had to turn around and go back. I went to Goofy's where we had our res and told them and they said no problem. When we got back an hour later, it was no problem. So weird considering how WDW works.

 

[HydroGuy]

I book at 60 days anyway for my reservations because to me that's part of the fun. Though I definitely change them throughout the next 60 days based on changes in ideas and plans for each day.

I had BB F! which was tough to get for the day I wanted, but when they came out with the Cafe Orleans (which starts the day before we get there), I changed it.

We went to DL in 2014 and I wasn't aware that the ressies aren't as important as they were in WDW. My wife forgot something she needed at the hotel so we had to turn around and go back. I went to Goofy's where we had our res and told them and they said no problem. When we got back an hour later, it was no problem. So weird considering how WDW works.

In this case I would say WDW is the weird one.

 

[PoohsFan1]

We will be there the week between Christmas and New Years (12/24-1/1). Our 60 day mark is in October, since I am going at an extremely crowded time of year, will getting reservations be as easy as any other time of year? I am planning on making my reservations once our date opens. Our list of reservations includes BB Fantasmic package, Ariel's Grotto World of Color package, Napa Rose, Naples, Minnie's breakfast (hoping for a pre park opening breakfast on Christmas day), Story Teller's dinner, Cafe Orlean's dinner, also afternoon tea at DLH. Some shouldn't be hard to get, but I am most worried about both dining packages, Napa Rose, and Minnie's breakfast.

 

[Athenaa]

Set the alarm for BB. A few weeks ago, I was able to get a reservation at my 60 day mark at 6 am Pacific, but it was for 7:40 pm for the second show (which I wanted). There was nothing available for the first show. You don't have to worry about the other places. They don't fill up very quickly.